Battery

Today’s word of the day from https://wordofthedaychallenge.wordpress.com/author/talesfromthemindofkristian/ is battery.

‘I’m not eating that chicken, it is from them battery hens,’ Charlie said. ‘I learnt at school how they keep them in little pens. They aren’t even twelve weeks old. Like they are babies.’

‘It’s all I have; you need to eat something.’

‘Can’t we eat a free-range one, at least they get to be outside.’

‘I can’t afford it. I tell you what, there’s nothing we can do about this chicken. It wouldn’t be fair just to throw it away would it. So, let’s eat this, so it doesn’t go to waste.’

‘I suppose. Mummy why do we have to eat meat?’

‘We don’t, you’re right, but sometimes it is all we can afford. Vegetables are expensive, and not very interesting to eat.’

‘My friend said, sometimes his mummy goes to the shop late at night. They are always putting the prices down then. We could do that when you need to go shopping. That way we could save some money.’

‘Okay, let’s eat dinner, and then we’ll go shopping. We will need to be back before nine, as you have school tomorrow.

Eating his dinner, he had no choice. Being hungry always overtook what was wrong in the world. In the superstore, they went around looking for things to buy. His friend was right, there were bargains. He understood his mummy didn’t have much money, and one day, when he was grown up, he would make sure he looked after her.